


Late Night Conversations // Levi Ackerman

by 90slevi



Series: Anime <3 [8]
Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Angst, Danger, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Funny Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin), Implied Relationships, Late Night Conversations, Levi is In Denial (Shingeki no Kyojin), Protective Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin), Romance, Threats of Violence, Tragic Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-15
Updated: 2020-11-15
Packaged: 2021-03-09 23:35:03
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,035
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27574577
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/90slevi/pseuds/90slevi
Summary: "C'mon, there’s something else, isn’t there?” - L“And what will you do if I don’t tell you?” - Y“Beat the shit out of you.” - L---Two weeks before the expedition, Y/n spends the night in a tree-top, trying to get her mind off things. Levi, knowing something's wrong, goes to join her. Despite her blaming it on her usual worries about an expedition, he knows there's something else. Something he's been feeling too.
Relationships: Levi & Reader, Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin)/Reader
Series: Anime <3 [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1802683
Kudos: 95





	Late Night Conversations // Levi Ackerman

It was the middle of the night. You were supposed to be in bed and resting, ready for another day of intense training to prepare for the upcoming expedition, but you couldn’t sleep. Too many thoughts littered your brain, and an unexpected fear flooded your veins. Despite being one of the best soldiers on the Squad (Levi’s Squad, too), you were constantly filled with anxieties and worries. Not about yourself, though. Ever since you’d joined, you were prepared to die whenever you left Wall Rose. But… you weren’t ready to watch another one of your friends be eaten at the hands of a monster.

Sitting in one of the trees outside the dorm building, you looked up at the sky to see it littered with stars, not a cloud in sight. It was also a full moon, and you hoped that it was a sign that nobody would die on this expedition, which was a stupid thought because at least ten people always died. Ever since you were a kid, you’d wanted to know the mysteries past the walls. There was so much more to life than just sitting inside Wall Sina eating bread and watching people live in boredom, so that’s why you’d joined the Cadets.

You’d never been prepared for the mental and emotional trauma that came with it, though.

You were quickly shaken out of your daydream, however, when a very authoritative yet all-too-familiar voice shouted for you at the bottom of the tree.

“Oi, Soldier, get down from there,” Captain Levi demanded, a hint of tiredness laced in his strict tone. You sighed and looked down, your eyebrows raised at him without saying a word. You knew Levi hated it when he was ignored, especially by someone in the inferior ranks, but you weren’t too bothered.

You were close, after all. Maybe a little bit… too close.

“Hey, are you deaf?” he asked, still unable to notice who it was due to the darkness. “I said-”

“Yeah, I heard you,” you responded with a sigh, spinning around on the branch you were sat on so you could properly look at him. Levi gave you a quick glare before aiming his manoeuver gear up at the tree and shooting so he was right next to you. “What’s up?”

“‘What’s up’?” Levi repeated, his eyebrows furrowed in frustration. “I should be asking you that. It’s 2 in the morning, get back to your dorm.”

“I can’t sleep,” you shrugged, gesturing at your black pyjamas you were still wearing. Instead of using gear as Levi had, you’d chosen to simply climb the tree, something you’d done since you were little. “Thought I’d come out here and look at the stars or something.”

Sighing, the black-haired Captain shook his head and reluctantly sat down beside you, deciding it was no use in telling you to come down. He also couldn’t be bothered to drag you down by force. It was clear the both of you were tired; he was too lazy to raise his voice and you had obvious bags underneath your eyes.

Plus, he didn’t really enforce the rules on you.

If it was someone like Eren Jaeger or one of the 'brats’ who’d just moved up from the trainees, he would’ve either forced them down or booted them off the tree, but he liked you. The two of you got along incredibly well and were often seen spending time together alone by other cadets, who assumed at first that the two of you were in a relationship. Levi didn’t exactly like this rumour and shut them up instantly with a swift kick in the shins, but began to realise he did feel some sort of way towards you that he didn’t with other people. And it was the same for you, too.

Unlike Levi, you’d actually felt romantic attraction to people before, despite it only being once and swearing on your life you’d never do it again, so at least you knew what it felt like. After the two of you discussing a possible relationship, you’d decided to not get together in fear of what could happen if one of you were in danger or, even worse, killed. Emotional connections weren’t the best thing to occur in the Survey Corps, because you could confess your love one day and then be brutally squashed the next day by a Titan. And although it was highly unlikely that Levi was dying anytime soon, you weren’t as skilled as he was and had almost been killed on multiple occasions already.

This didn’t exactly stop the two of you from feeling that way towards each other, however.

“You look tired,” Levi said, his voice much softer now. You nodded, a small smile on your face. “You can always visit me, you know. When you can’t sleep.”

“I could,” you chuckled, looked down at the ground as your legs hung dangerously off the side of the branch. “But others would definitely get the wrong impression. Plus, I don’t think it’s exactly… right for a soldier to visit their captain in the middle of the night.”

“Who cares?” Levi muttered, rolling his eyes and making your smile widen at his attitude. “I can always make you tea to help you sleep.”

“I think the only way I’d be able to sleep was if you knocked me out,” you replied, your memories going back to the time Levi had actually made you unconscious just so you could get a wink of sleep. It was something the two of you had laughed about afterward, but at the time… it wasn’t really that fun. Plagued with nightmares and waking up crying, Levi couldn’t figure out anything other than booting you in the head to get you to have even an hour of sleep. Levi scoffed at your comment and cracked his knuckles.

“I can do that if you wish,” he said, and you grimaced, holding your hands up.

“I’d rather not,” you answered, remembering the issues you’d had. “You nearly gave me a concussion, and I had that bump on the back of my head for nearly a week!”

“I wouldn’t be surprised if you’d got brain damage,” he mumbled off-handedly, and you playfully hit him in the shoulder. “Oi!”

“I sometimes wonder if YOU’RE the one with brain damage,” you teased, and he hit you back. You pouted at him, and he gave you the classic Levi-glare you were all too used to now.

“If that’s what I’ve got, then putting up with you is what gave it me,” Levi threw back, and you gasped dramatically, falling backward. His eyes widened in surprise, one of his arms automatically reaching out to catch you, but you were fine. All you were doing was hanging upside down from the branch, using only your legs as support as you swung dangerously. It was something you’d done for years, so it was fine, but clearly, Levi wasn’t used to it. “Doing that will definitely give you brain damage. Get back up here!”

“You’re just using that as an excuse because you’re scared, aren’t you?” you giggled, pulling yourself back up to safety and adjusting your pyjama top. Even if your shirt had risen early, you didn’t mind; Levi had seen your body before, so it wasn’t like it was something sacred you had to hide. “Awh, is Levi scared that I’m gonna fall?”

“You just looked like a total idiot, that’s all,” he shrugged, rolling his eyes again as he looked away. You adored teasing him; it completely tore away that tough persona he liked to put on in front of the Cadets and other soldiers and showed a much more vulnerable, real version of the man you cared about so much. “And I don’t exactly fancy having one of my best soldiers having a broken bone or two only two weeks before the expedition.”

That word. _Expedition_.

You went silent, your heart racing as you were reminded so suddenly of the impending doom you were so close to experiencing again. Gulping, you began to sub-consciously nibble at your thumb, and Levi noticed your anxieties pretty much instantly.

_Ah, so that’s why you’re up here._

“Maybe that was your intention,” Levi said calmly, raising an eyebrow. “To break a bone supposedly by accident so you don’t have to go on the expedition. Coward.”

“As if I’d ever do that!” you exclaimed, a little louder than you’d intended. The Captain cocked his head with his eyebrows raised, almost judging you until you were able to tell him the truth. He may be cruel with his way of getting information out of people, but he was determined to do it. That way, he could actually help you instead of giving meaningless hope and compliments that were bound to do nothing in the long run. “I’m just… a little scared, that’s all.”

“It’s funny that you think you’re the only one,” Levi scoffed, rather surprised that you were so nervous you were hiding away. Usually, you came to him with your problems, trusting him enough to share even the stupidest of things, but this was… odd. Either you were absolutely terrified or there was another thing you weren’t telling him. “I bet the Cadets are absolutely shitting themselves. C'mon, there’s something else, isn’t there?”

“And what will you do if I don’t tell you?”

“Beat the shit out of you.”

You snorted before looking down at your feet. As unlikely as it was that Levi would even lay a menacing hand on you, you wouldn’t be surprised if he actually did go on his word just to get the information out. He was caring… in a very strange way. But you didn’t mind; the two of you were just as good as each other at hand-to-hand combat, so it’d be a challenge for him to properly harm you as he did with the Cadets and lower ranks.

“You’ll laugh at me.”

“Have I ever laughed at you, brat?”

“Yes.”

Levi was silent, trying to recall the last time he’d ever even laughed, never mind at you. Although… there was one time where he’d made fun of you for something pretty dumb, and then there was another time when he chuckled at you when you dropped a piece of bread and flipped it off, and then-

Okay, you’d made him laugh more times than he’d like to admit. But that wasn’t the point.

“That’s a lie,” he ironically lied, his face still as blunt as ever despite joking around. It was something you surprisingly liked about Levi; his dry sense of humour was just as dry as he acted, and it suited him well. “Now, brat, tell me.”

“It’s just the same old stuff, really,” you shrugged, sighing as you looked up at the sky. You had no idea what time it was, only that it was between 2am and 4am just by glancing at the moon and knew you ought to get at least a bit of sleep. You yawned, and Levi noticed. “It’s stupid because I know for a fact it’ll happen every time I leave these walls, but I don’t want people I know to die. Especially those I care about.”

“Tch, everyone feels like that,” Levi said, thankful it wasn’t anything more serious. Just the average 'I don’t want people to die’ talk. “Even Eyebrows, which is shocking, I know.”

“I know, but…” you trailed off, not wanting to talk about your worries about Levi. He had the most dangerous part of the whole expedition in the next two weeks and although you knew he could take it, there was still an incline of worry that spread across your body like a parasite. Sighing, you yawned again, pressing your palms into your eyes to try and rub the sleep out of your eyes. Levi raised his eyebrows and put his hand firmly on your thigh.

“Well, if you’re not gonna tell me, then you’re going to bed,” he insisted, standing up and holding his hand out for you to take. Reluctantly, you rolled your eyes and took it, being pulled to your feet and pulled into his side. “And if that means knocking you the fuck out, then so be it.”

“And what if I don’t wake up in time?” you asked, watching as Levi shot into the ground with his gear and pulled you with him. He sighed, grabbing harshly onto your wrist so you didn’t run away.

“Then you’ll have to train even harder when you do,” he said bluntly, and you groaned in disapproval, trying to ignore the slight pain in your wrist he was causing. “Because I’m not having your stupidity and exhaustion cost you your life. Got it?”

“Got it,” you muttered, pouting as he dragged you up the stairs in the dorm building. It appeared that he was taking you to his room to make sure you actually slept instead of sneaking back out of your window. Although, you didn’t mind spending the night with Levi. Even if the two of you didn’t sleep, you still ended up having late-night talks and even at some points drinking. Luckily, he had a very high alcohol tolerance, being able to drink over a bottle without showing he had done in the morning. You, on the other hand, weren’t so tolerant… “God, people would think you’ve been hired to look after me or something.”

“It feels like that 90% of the time,” he replied, and you grinned, entering his room.

Once again, it was just as spotless as last time you’d been in there. It was constantly organised, with his bed covered in crisp white sheets and a pile of papers displayed neatly on his mahogany desk. Books stood in alphabetical order on his bookcase, completely dust-free, and his curtains were closed symmetrically over his window. Two lit candles sat on his desk, presumably lit just before he went to fetch you, and his green cloak lay folded-up over the side of his sofa. It was a comfortable room, and one you really enjoyed visiting.

“So, am I knocking you out, or are you gonna sleep, Y/n?” Levi threatened, flopping down onto his sofa as he unbuckled his gear. For someone who only got two hours of sleep per night if he was lucky, it was pretty hypocritical that he was trying to get you to go to bed. It was also nice to hear him call you by your first name for once, instead of a stupid nickname like 'brat’ or 'dumbass’. “Choose quickly, because I’d quite like to finish the book I was reading.”

“I think I’d rather sleep without getting punched in the face,” you answered with a grin, flopping down onto his bed that you’d slept in multiple times before. For some reason, it was always comfier than the bed you had in your dorm room, and despite not being a double bed, it managed to fit the two of you in easily if you both wanted to share.

Then again, you both weren’t the tallest of people.

“Yeah, that’s the better option,” Levi sighed, sinking calmly into his sofa as he pulled off his boots and tucked them beside the door. The room was silent for a few minutes as you closed your eyes on top of his bed, not even underneath the duvet. It was still unlikely you’d sleep much, as there was a lot on your mind, but at least you were resting. Then, Levi’s voice entered the room. “You’re not going to sleep, are you?”

“Not really,” you muttered, your eyes cracking open. You stared at the ceiling, hearing the man’s footsteps walk over and eventually stop. Turning your head, you noticed he was squatting beside the bed, his face pretty much right next to yours. His expression was much softer now as he watched your eyes move, and he reached up to brush your hair from out of your face.

“I’m not an idiot, I know there’s more on your mind than just the stupid expedition, Y/n,” he said quietly, a stern tone to his voice despite being calmer than usual. You hesitated before looking away, rubbing your face as you tried to gather your thoughts. Unlike usual, you had no idea what had you so on-edge, and you couldn’t explain it to Levi if you tried. “And if you don’t want to tell me, then that’s fine. But you really need to sleep, because I don’t want my next dead recruit to be you.”

That was it. That was what was on your mind.

You’d never really gotten over your feelings for Levi; you’d just pushed them to the back of your mind until you hopefully forgot about it, but it was impossible. Every time you were in his room, every time you even spoke to him, and every time he looked out for you just deepened your feelings, and it stressed you out. You didn’t want to love someone, especially while the two of you were in the Survey Corps. And the fact he made sure you weren’t at the risk of dying, more than he looked out for the other Cadets and Soldiers, showed he felt the same. A small smile appeared on your face.

The world was cruel. Too cruel.

“Well then, goodnight, Levi,” you said softly, reaching your hand up as you brushed his hair out of his eyes as he’d done to you just a minute ago. You then lifted your legs up and tucked them under the duvet before closing your eyes. You knew Levi was confused, but it was better for him to be like that than to be crushed with you admitting your feelings all over again. “I’ll maybe tell you soon, I dunno. But for now, I’m gonna get some sleep. Feel free to join me!”

You heard Levi 'tch’ under his breath with a small sound of amusement before he walked back to the sofa. He also mumbled something inaudible to you, but you didn’t really care.

Although you couldn’t do anything about it, you were glad you’d finally come to terms with your worries.

If only Levi could too.


End file.
